The proposed University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Rheumatic Disease Core Center (RDCC) is uniquely positioned to enable application of innovate, scientifically rigorous approaches and state-of-the-art techniques to important questions in biomedical sciences, thereby laying the basis for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases. The breadth of interdisciplinary research of the UAB Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Center (Director: Kimberly) synergistic research environment that is focused through six RDCC thematic workgroups (Neurobehavioral Medicine; Prevention, Outcomes and Rehabilitation; Experimental Therapeutics, Genetics and Functional Genomics; Immunology and Autoimmunity; and Bone, Cartilage and Connective Tissue). These workg5roups are designed to provide the depth of expertise necessary to fully exploit the rapid growth in scientific knowledge and advances in technology. Effective and rapid integration of these advances into the RDCC research efforts as well as effective communication between basic and clinical investigators will be further promoted by a Scientific Enrichment Program. The RDCC Core Facilities (Hybridoma/Phage Display, Flow Cytometry and High-Speed Cell Sorting, Gene Targeting, and High Resolution Imaging) will provide and continue to develop the technologies essential for cutting edge research. Three innovative P&F projects are proposed that promote the development of young investigators, each of which use innovative approaches to address important mechanistic questions in rheumatic diseases: (1) NZW-derived Resistance to Murine Lupus; (2) The role of Apoptosis-Resistant Dendritic Cells in Autoimmunity; (3) T-Cell Antigen-Induced Cell Death Defects in Collagen-II Induced Arthritis of DBA/1j Mice. Continued scientific development, strategies planning, integration of efforts, and scientifically rigorous oversight are ensured through the expertise of the Administrative Core.